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Ksar
Also called: Ksour
Other spellings: kasr; qasr; qsar
Arabic: qasr
Berber: aghrem
Fortified village, common in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Ksars can also be called "ksour", this is the plural form, and in some cases this name is used for the larger structures, but there is no absolute rules here. The word comes from the Arabic word for "palace". It is an original form of Berber architecture, but the Berber name is different: aghrem.
In the ksar there are attached houses and granaries, and depending on the size of the village other basic service functions as well as a mosque. The outside of a ksar is often a simple, continuous wall. If there are windows, these are usually high up.
Ksars are often found in oasis villages, or in the mountains, often in sparsely populated regions.
Related to the ksar is the kasbah and the ghurfa.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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